The death of a 14-year-old student at a Malaysian boarding school has renewed scrutiny over student safety, raising questions over whether reforms introduced after the high-profile death of Zara Qairina Mahathir last year have changed what happens behind dormitory doors.
Police in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, have detained two 16-year-old students as they investigate the death of Muhammad Idlan Fareeq Shahril.
They said Idlan was caught vaping by a hostel warden on September 23. Two days later, a 16-year-old student instructed a peer to bring Idlan to his dormitory, where he was allegedly struck on the soles of his feet with a rubber hosepipe, forced to remove his shirt and hit on the chest and back until he collapsed.
Idlan was later taken to Hospital Ampuan Najihah, where he was pronounced dead.